As I have recently started moving away from IEMs, I wanted to get some of my thoughts out there on the IE800 before I forget them, in case they may be helpful to others. I have owned the IE800s (and SE846) for 1.5 years and have had a chance to really get to know them. That being said, throughout those 1.5 years, my opinion on them has changed a few times as I upgraded upstream equipment and as time went on, leading me to wonder even now if I actually know them? Anyways, I will structure these notes chronologically in the order I upgraded upstream equipment. I will focus on sound quality and leave out most comments on form factor, noise isolation, practicality, etc. as I feel they have been very well covered elsewhere.
Let's start with SQ out of an iPad/smartphone with decent sound output:
At this point, the defining characteristics of the IE800 for me were:
1) insane treble energy: a sore point for many, the treble of the IE800 is very forward, aggressive, and bordering on sibilant and artificial. Artificial in the sense that when cymbals hit, they sound kind of like synths. And so on with other instruments. I actually love the treble energy of the IE800, but I can see why many do not. Compared to the the SE846, the IE800 has much more noticeable treble, and as a result, has noticeably more detail in the treble. The trade-off is that the SE846 is less fatiguing over longer sessions and has less of that "artificial" sound.
2) good staging, very open sounding for an IEM: may have something to do with the the treble, but when I hear the IE800's, the word "open" pops up in my head. Sounds feel like they have a better defined placement in terms of more specific depth and right-left placement. In comparison, on the SE846, the sounds just pop up "in your face" in the right or left channel. In addition, the IE800 has better separation and sounds "airier." In more complex passages, instruments remain more separate instead of mushing up. Songs that give off a sense of being in a large room are better able to convey that ambiance. Great in this sense for classical music. In comparison, the SE846 sounds more congested.
3) very deep bass: my first impression of the IE800 bass was that it was "deep." Over time, I came to realize that this "deep" feeling resulted from the IE800 having tremendous subbass without very much midbass. By subbass, I mean maybe sub 40 or 50hz, and by midbass, I'm thinking more 50hz-150hz. In comparison, the SE846 is more weighted towards the midbass. The result is that the SE846 and IE800 are, for lack of a better term, "different" when it comes to bass, but I wouldn't say either are lacking or "lesser" compared to the other. Depending on where the bass hits are in a certain song, either the SE846 or IE800 (or both) are able to convey sick quantities of bass while still maintaining control. With an equalizer, the sky is the limit. However, because each song is different, with some songs the IE800s may seem to have lighter or not-as-impactful bass as the SE846, and vice versa. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I ended up with both the SE846 and IE800- because of the different bass presentations.
The mids were great on both the IE800 and SE846. Overall the SE846 sounds "meatier," "fuller," (or some similar adjective) while the IE800 sounds "leaner" and more V-shaped. At this point, I would have said that if I were to choose only 1 between the IE800 and the SE846, it would be the IE800 because of the better staging, openness, and treble detail, and because I prefer the leaner sound signature. I kept the SE846 around because of its different bass presentation and better sound isolation.
Additional notes on the above:
-I listen to the SE846 with aftermarket pure silver cables. While the cables kinda maybe sorta improve the treble response and instrument separation of the SE846, it is still definitely not to the levels of the IE800. I keep the stock cables on the IE800.
-In the passage where I say open sounding for an IEM, note that I use reserved words like "more" and "better" rather than "magnificent sensational ultimate magical fairies." The IE800 has good staging and openness for an IEM, but I personally still cannot, say, pick out the exact location of blah-de-blah in this song, nor does it make me believe my room is now a live concert stage. In this respect, the IE800 still cannot match something like a good over-ear, and much less good speakers.
A few months later out of curiosity I got a $200 Schiit Magni/Modi stack and:
Overall, I noticed improvements in both the SE846 and IE800. Most noticeably, the SE846 gained a good amount of treble response, and enough detail so that I no longer would have missed the treble of the IE800 if I had to give it up. IE800 still had a bit more treble response though. The SE846 treble may have gained more of that "artificial" flavor where things sound steely or synth-y. The treble on the IE800 is not really tamed, but where the treble on the smartphone sounded brash and grainy, the treble out of the magni/modi is more of a brash and clean. Both IEMs gained openness and better staging. I no longer really lamented about the SE846 sounding congested sometimes. With the IE800 I started getting hints of being at live performance. With the right recording and correct celestial alignment, I could perhaps close my eyes and pretend I was there. With this setup, the IE800s would be the one I would keep if I had to choose, because of the better staging.
Inevitably a few months later I upgraded again, to a $1500 Burson Soloist/Bifrost Uber, probably as far as I plan to take it with amping IEMs.
The most noticeable thing I noticed with this upgrade was that the treble on the IE800 no longer sounded nearly as loud, steely or artificial- less volume but more detail. Though I never had a problem with the IE800's treble with lower end amps/dacs, the treble out of a smartphone now just sounded downright harsh and low-res. The treble out of the magni/modi was steely and less resolving, though it was more aggressive and still clean. Staging and openness on the IE800 may have improved, though only slightly. The SE846 improved in similar ways here, though in terms of soundstage and openness it is still slightly behind the IE800. It has certainly closed the gap with the IE800 in that respect since I first listened to it straight out of a smartphone, however. The biggest thing with the SE846 was its noticeably better transient response, and on this setup, it sounds more detailed than the IE800 even in the treble. This suggests to me the SE846 scales better than the IE800 here, with the IE800 perhaps starting to reach its limits. Because of this, on this setup, if I were to only keep one IEM, it would be the SE846.
Well, that's it for now, and probably for later. But I hope that these notes are of some help if you are looking at getting the IE800s. Do note that we all hear differently, have different tastes, and use different adjectives, so as usual with me and with anyone, YMMV, everything I say is IMO, etc., and there is no substitute for an actual audition using your system.
Let's start with SQ out of an iPad/smartphone with decent sound output:
At this point, the defining characteristics of the IE800 for me were:
1) insane treble energy: a sore point for many, the treble of the IE800 is very forward, aggressive, and bordering on sibilant and artificial. Artificial in the sense that when cymbals hit, they sound kind of like synths. And so on with other instruments. I actually love the treble energy of the IE800, but I can see why many do not. Compared to the the SE846, the IE800 has much more noticeable treble, and as a result, has noticeably more detail in the treble. The trade-off is that the SE846 is less fatiguing over longer sessions and has less of that "artificial" sound.
2) good staging, very open sounding for an IEM: may have something to do with the the treble, but when I hear the IE800's, the word "open" pops up in my head. Sounds feel like they have a better defined placement in terms of more specific depth and right-left placement. In comparison, on the SE846, the sounds just pop up "in your face" in the right or left channel. In addition, the IE800 has better separation and sounds "airier." In more complex passages, instruments remain more separate instead of mushing up. Songs that give off a sense of being in a large room are better able to convey that ambiance. Great in this sense for classical music. In comparison, the SE846 sounds more congested.
3) very deep bass: my first impression of the IE800 bass was that it was "deep." Over time, I came to realize that this "deep" feeling resulted from the IE800 having tremendous subbass without very much midbass. By subbass, I mean maybe sub 40 or 50hz, and by midbass, I'm thinking more 50hz-150hz. In comparison, the SE846 is more weighted towards the midbass. The result is that the SE846 and IE800 are, for lack of a better term, "different" when it comes to bass, but I wouldn't say either are lacking or "lesser" compared to the other. Depending on where the bass hits are in a certain song, either the SE846 or IE800 (or both) are able to convey sick quantities of bass while still maintaining control. With an equalizer, the sky is the limit. However, because each song is different, with some songs the IE800s may seem to have lighter or not-as-impactful bass as the SE846, and vice versa. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I ended up with both the SE846 and IE800- because of the different bass presentations.
The mids were great on both the IE800 and SE846. Overall the SE846 sounds "meatier," "fuller," (or some similar adjective) while the IE800 sounds "leaner" and more V-shaped. At this point, I would have said that if I were to choose only 1 between the IE800 and the SE846, it would be the IE800 because of the better staging, openness, and treble detail, and because I prefer the leaner sound signature. I kept the SE846 around because of its different bass presentation and better sound isolation.
Additional notes on the above:
-I listen to the SE846 with aftermarket pure silver cables. While the cables kinda maybe sorta improve the treble response and instrument separation of the SE846, it is still definitely not to the levels of the IE800. I keep the stock cables on the IE800.
-In the passage where I say open sounding for an IEM, note that I use reserved words like "more" and "better" rather than "magnificent sensational ultimate magical fairies." The IE800 has good staging and openness for an IEM, but I personally still cannot, say, pick out the exact location of blah-de-blah in this song, nor does it make me believe my room is now a live concert stage. In this respect, the IE800 still cannot match something like a good over-ear, and much less good speakers.
A few months later out of curiosity I got a $200 Schiit Magni/Modi stack and:
Overall, I noticed improvements in both the SE846 and IE800. Most noticeably, the SE846 gained a good amount of treble response, and enough detail so that I no longer would have missed the treble of the IE800 if I had to give it up. IE800 still had a bit more treble response though. The SE846 treble may have gained more of that "artificial" flavor where things sound steely or synth-y. The treble on the IE800 is not really tamed, but where the treble on the smartphone sounded brash and grainy, the treble out of the magni/modi is more of a brash and clean. Both IEMs gained openness and better staging. I no longer really lamented about the SE846 sounding congested sometimes. With the IE800 I started getting hints of being at live performance. With the right recording and correct celestial alignment, I could perhaps close my eyes and pretend I was there. With this setup, the IE800s would be the one I would keep if I had to choose, because of the better staging.
Inevitably a few months later I upgraded again, to a $1500 Burson Soloist/Bifrost Uber, probably as far as I plan to take it with amping IEMs.
The most noticeable thing I noticed with this upgrade was that the treble on the IE800 no longer sounded nearly as loud, steely or artificial- less volume but more detail. Though I never had a problem with the IE800's treble with lower end amps/dacs, the treble out of a smartphone now just sounded downright harsh and low-res. The treble out of the magni/modi was steely and less resolving, though it was more aggressive and still clean. Staging and openness on the IE800 may have improved, though only slightly. The SE846 improved in similar ways here, though in terms of soundstage and openness it is still slightly behind the IE800. It has certainly closed the gap with the IE800 in that respect since I first listened to it straight out of a smartphone, however. The biggest thing with the SE846 was its noticeably better transient response, and on this setup, it sounds more detailed than the IE800 even in the treble. This suggests to me the SE846 scales better than the IE800 here, with the IE800 perhaps starting to reach its limits. Because of this, on this setup, if I were to only keep one IEM, it would be the SE846.
Well, that's it for now, and probably for later. But I hope that these notes are of some help if you are looking at getting the IE800s. Do note that we all hear differently, have different tastes, and use different adjectives, so as usual with me and with anyone, YMMV, everything I say is IMO, etc., and there is no substitute for an actual audition using your system.
